Gods and Knights
by Krot
Summary: A retelling and a novelization of the events that transpired in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, DCEU's second entry. The fic is loosely based on the movie.
1. The Interview

**Two weeks after the world was introduced to Superman.**

It was afternoon. The downtown Metropolis was buzzing, not with the lively chatter of people going on about their work as per usual but with the rough, scraping sound of machinery hitting the rough asphalt. Immediately after the long-winded battle that flattened a good chunk of the city, all the gold-hearted politicians, the businessmen, those who had the resources to do something, they went into motion like the gears of an old clock. Charities were set up, investments were made, losses recouped, yet they still had a long way to go if they desired to return a sense of normalcy to the place. Though who were they kidding - even if the buildings were put back together, the feeling of dread and uselessness would still permeate the air around the city. The photos of the dead, their screams, their pleas, their prayers which were so callously ignored by their respective Gods. They would haunt the city for generations.

On the other hand, there were also those who were powerless. Those who heard the distorted, booming noise made by the World Engine and who lived to tell the tale. Most of them resided within their houses, provided their residences weren't caught in the crossfire. It was no telling how they coped with having witnessed such a terrible event take place right before their doorstep, as each and every one of them had a slightly different experience, but at that moment, at 18:30 p.m, it was safe to assume that they were in front of their TVs waiting for The Seltzer Factor to start.

"..now, we here at The Seltzer Factor, we owe it to the audience to keep them up to date with the latest, hottest news that are ravaging the globe. And for the first time in history, we don't have to travel to a god-forsaken country to do that." Cue Janine Seltzer, a middle-aged black woman, the sole hostess of _The Seltzer Factor_. She sat behind the desk, addressing her viewership in a monotonous tone to communicate how she's unbiased while making sure to convey sympathy here and there. She was aware that one verbal slip up would result in a lot of ruffled feathers and most likely cost her job.

"As you know..", she sighed a little as her posture faltered. Her eyes moved down at her desk, at the number of stacked papers placed at chest level, before she threw her gaze back at the camera. "..a tragic, deadly event occurred in Metropolis around two weeks ago. One with potentially global implications. The answer to the question 'are we alone in this universe' has been finally answered, and in the worst way possible. We stood in the brink of extinction and survived. But now there's another question that's been brought up - who should we thank for that?" she paused for a little allowing the studio to be clad in a melodramatic blanket of silence. "Logically speaking, we should owe our existence to the man, the Superman, who took it upon himself to banish this army of highly advanced aliens and consequently save us from them. But what if it was exactly that man who brought the invaders in our land in the first place?" She visibly gulped before throwing another look at the papers on her desk. A less-experienced host might have lost some big audience points by losing concentration like that, but Janine knew what she was doing.

She shuffled on her seat for a bit, changing sides to face the other camera as they switched angles.

"To answer those aforementioned questions, our first guest in the studio will be Pulitzer winning journalist who works for Metropolis' own Daily Planet and who has kept a close watch on the events transpiring before and during the alien clash. I'd like to welcome Lois Lane. Ms. Lane, first and foremost, how are you?" Suddenly, the camera panned out to a wide shot to show Lois sitting on the desk, opposite of Janine.

"All things considered, I'd say I'm good. Oh, and please call me Lois." she responded.

"Glad to hear you're okay, Lois. Now, before we move on with this interview, our audience expects you to answer a couple of questions and hopefully shed light on some other aspects that we are not aware of. Considering your personal involvement with the incident, the questions prepared might sniff into your intimate life. We've discussed this beforehand, but I still want to make sure that you're up for it."

Lois paused for a second before speaking.

"Janine, there's not much of a big difference between my job and yours. They're both built around scrutiny, so I knew the professional hazards when I stepped into this studio. I also know how many lives the incident has affected for worse, so I feel like I owe the people an insight on what truly transpired. That said, I'm answering your questions as someone who was present in the fray and not as a journalist, so my views might be prejudiced."

"Very well, then. I know you're on a time limit so let's begin with our first question.", Janine shuffled through all her prep work, having masterfully brushed off Lois' somewhat stingy albeit true remark about scrutiny.

"Snippets of footage and photographs that have surfaced on the internet show you are particularly close with the alien, this so-called Superman. What exactly is your relationship with him?" Her starting question put a smirk on Lois' mouth, although not one that communicated joy.

"You went for the jugular right away, didn't you.." Both women shared a laugh but lacked any enthusiasm or reason behind it. Lois uncomfortably shuffled in her seat before answering.

"Well, if you're gonna use this question to segue into the emerging rumors about a possible romantic link between the two of us, they're all false.", the red-haired woman lied through her teeth. "I have no connection to Superman outside of a professional one. There is really nothing to add that has not been clarified in the official story. I was the first to uncover his existence, the Daily Planet didn't want to publish my story out of fear of political fallout so I used an alternative way. Apparently, I did something right to get Superman's seal of approval so I also temporarily acted as a mediator between him and the military. The rest is history."

"You endangered his secret identity yet he still trusted you?!"

"When you put it that way, it does sound ridiculous. But what you have to know about Kal is that he was in need of a supporter at the time. He spent his entire life trying to accept himself, and once he passed over that hurdle, he had an even bigger one coming his way - to make the entire world accept him. He needed someone who believed him and I just happened to stroll by." Lane answered the woman's inquiries efficiently, solidifying her standing as a hardass journalist.

"So, now after all that's happened, what's your opinion on those who oppose Superman? As you may know, there are already 12 million and 786,457 thousand people who have signed a petition to exile him from the planet since the petition's creation five days days ago. From a political standpoint, the petition is a dud but it does highlight the planet's displeasure with Superman's presence. We also got some very prominent figures from around here like rising business conglomerate Alexander Luthor and philanthropist Bruce Wayne who have publicly opposed and are running an anti-Superman campaign, deeming him a threat to the world as a whole. I don't know how familiar you are with the-" Janine was about to finish, until Lois, slightly flustered but still composed, interrupted her.

"I'm familiar with their work.", her tone rose slightly higher than before as she clasped her hands and moved forward. "The former has been under investigation for having ties to the underworld, while the latter's company has government contracts that extend up to 2018. Both opportunists, men who made a profit from the 'endangered world' that they're trying to 'fix'. We all know the entire reason for their campaign is because their business ventures got trashed in the ensuing battle. I don't see them as the type of people who care about civilian safety."

Lois' last remark tensed up the situation as Seltzer attempted to hold her back..

"Ms. Lane-I mean Lois, that's a very bold statement to make.."

Lois prevented herself from saying anything rash, her tone becoming calmer gradually.

"I did warn you I was gonna be prejudiced. I apologize.", she declared easing the tensions and allowing for Janine to jumble through her papers and continue the interview.

"What about Superman's efforts to help in rebuilding Metropolis and clean up the mess left behind from the clash?"

"What about them?" Lois inquired back, unsure what the question was.

"Critics call it a blatant PR stunt."

"So, how is that a bad thing?" Lois retorted. "He is an indestructible alien entity who is looking for our support. Does he need it? No. Yet he still wants to..", she paused at a loss of words. "..integrate, in a sense. It shows that we can't control him, but he's not here to control us either."

"What about his origins? There have been many speculations regarding his planet of origin but so far nothing official has come up."

"I apologize, I have nothing on that. He has kept that under wraps.", Lois pursed her lips as she tossed yet another shameless lie, one that was met by an assenting nod by Janine.

"Final question, Lois. Does the world need a Superman?"

Silence overtook the studio, the type of silence in which you can even hear teeth clattering, tensing up in response to the level of agitation it brought forth. You could almost see Lois' gears grinding in her head as she maintained firm eye contact with the hostess. What was the correct answer to that question?

After a prolonged silence, the red-haired journalist finally spoke. "It does. I believe he is a beacon of hope. And I know that it's hard to the families of the victims of that catastrophic disaster and I don't expect anyone to change their opinion of him overnight - after all, that is not why I'm here - but I do wish there comes a day where people look up to the sky and see what I see. Not a God, not a monster, but someone who's trying to do right by us."

"Ms. Lane, thank you for being here with us." Janine spoke, effectively concluding the interview.

"Thank you for having me." Lois spoke back.

The camera switched from the wide shot to one that was focused on Seltzer as Lois disappeared out of the frame. Just like in the beginning, she addressed her audience and kept them informed on the show's schedule as was customary of political talk shows.

"We will be back after a brief intermission with a live broadcast from the Indian Ocean where there's a military operation taking place related to the safe removal and transportation of one of the World Engines which crashed there two weeks ago. Reports say that Superman MAY make an appearance. Don't go anywhere."


	2. His Own Worst Enemy

_Author's Note: To the few people following my story, I apologize for the long hiatus. I wrote it, was under the impression that it wasn't getting enough interest and abandoned the second chapter halfway through. I had no idea it had garnered a following. I'm gonna revive it and get it moving no later than next week, after I'm done with the exams_ _that are holding me down this semester. Until then, here's the first half of the second chapter._

* * *

 **Mount Aconcagua, Argentina**

 **Two weeks after the battle of Metropolis**

The sub-zero temperatures that reigned atop the mountain side were nothing but invigorating to the Man of Steel. So long as he remained within the domain of the solar system, he was the strongest being on Earth, no questions asked. He was near invincible, faster than a speeding bullet and could reach heights in a few minutes that a space shuttle couldn't reach in a day. But his pain was not physical. There was turmoil brewing on the inside, a psychological threat that he couldn't lobotomize with his laser vision or throw into the depths of cosmos with his super strength. Turns out that for all of his godly feats, he had the emotional range and structure of a normal human. That made sense, since he was raised by humans.

There were bits and pieces of that horrible battle that took Metropolis by storm residing in his mind, and unfortunately none of them helped his emotional state. He recalled himself down on the ground on one of the islands right after having destroyed the World Engine, his energy being slowly replenished by the Sun. His next snippet was of him filtering all the cries for help from the people below in order to pinpoint Zod's location. Even though a large extent of his power had been unleashed at that point, that was the moment he felt the most helpless. None of those as haunting as the image of an innocent family driven to a corner, their life threatened by the alien overlord he had on a chokehold. His last words, a cruel display of apathy that made Clark realize he had no choice, and then an audible crack. Zod's body collapsing into the ground, his mouth agape, his eyes no longer glowing red.

Clark shook his head as if to drive those perturbing thoughts out of it. Effortlessly and with the grace of an angel, he rose from the ground, the cape flapping in the wind making a nice addition to his arcane presence. His ears perked up in response to a noise in the far East. Nothing alarming. Just the buzzing, impatient sound of a crowd and the grating racket of machinery. He knew exactly what that was about.

Opting to leave the moping for later, Superman dashed with a speed that the human eye could not perceive if it wasn't for the trail of air current that it left behind. He maintained the same pace until he reached his destination - the **Indian Ocean**. He hovered below the clouds and to an altitude where the crowd could spot him. Then, he braced for the inevitable to happen.

"There he is!" one of them howled as he held up his phone. What followed afterwards was a unison of chants, screaming and unintelligible noises from the crowd. Few feet away from the island where they were situated was the fallen World Engine and around four military hovercrafts circling it. Two twin-engine, tandem rotor military transportation helicopters were above. Only vehicle that didn't fit in the mix was a Channel 4 news chopper loitering a couple hundred yards away.

Electing to ignore the assembly below him, Superman glided down to the side of one of the helicopters. The side door slid open and a soldier appeared to greet him.

"Nice to see you're among us, sir!" the private spoke as his increased tone of voice failed to overpower the uproar caused by the twin engines. Not that it mattered, what with Clark's enhanced hearing and all.

"Likewise, soldier." Clark responded in kindness, a faint smile creeping up his face. "But you don't need to refer to me as a 'sir'. I'm not your superior." Contrary to the zealous soldier, Superman didn't need to exert his lungs to reach audibility. His voice weighed like an anvil.

"What is the plan?" Clark spoke again all the while looking at the military presence underneath. Unsurprisingly, their eyes were on him.

"Well sir-I mean- Superman, we've just finished our inspection of the Engine. Both helicopters have their own respective grappling hooks attached to the bottom. We've estimated that the combined strength of the choppers and the cable's tensile strength will allow for us to lift it up momentarily. However, we will not be able to reach our destination without your intervention." The soldier recited, holding on to a beam to avoid tumbling down into the sea. Clark listened on intently. There was a brief moment where there were no words being uttered.

"Alright, private. Whenever you're ready." Clark eventually broke the silence, his reply met by a firm, military salute. The chopper's side door slid closed. Superman hovered away and made his descent in the Engine's direction, coming close to it but not close enough for his feet to to rest on it. It's legs were submerged in water with only it's base remaining visible on the surface. He looked at the machine with a poker face, making note of the two designated Xs painted on top of it, though inside he harbored an unhealthy dose of loathing. He perceived it as a representation of his grand failure which made the prospect of having it decommissioned even more appealing.

The wire cables expelled from the choppers simultaneously and advanced within inches from Superman's torso before latching to the Engine with an audible clink. The Red Cape didn't even flinch, his heightened senses allowing him to predict exactly where the cable would land. The choppers hovered up, raising their altitudes as the Engine's remaining mechanisms fell into place, the resulting monstrous sound they made boosting the onlookers over at the neighboring island on a cheering frenzy. Slowly but surely, the Engine rose up from the sea to the point where you could see it's demolished lower limbs. Superman flew under it with ease and grabbed the base with both of his hands. The cheers intensified. Amidst the incoherent chanting, the words "WE LOVE YOU SUPERMAN!" and other praises were tossed away. Sadly, Clark's survivor guilt didn't allow him to savor his fame. His gaze remained trained on the piece of alien artillery that he was so effortlessly holding with his bare hands. It was almost ridiculous how unconcealed his publicity campaign was. The World Engine was something he could have lifted and transported himself, but the bureaucrats insisted that he completes such a menial task in full cooperation with the army in order to "highlight his benevolence". Clark understood well that was political talk for "make the government look good".

The tandem rotor helicopters inched closer to one another, causing the Engine's weight to rest on the red and blue savior underneath. With that done, the choppers lingered for a while before heading off with Supes right under their tail. The Channel 4 news helicopter followed suit, no doubt broadcasting the event continuously. It was not something to be said out loud, but Clark did feel a relief surge his body as the crowd's chants became more and more distant.


End file.
